1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to a steering structure of a walk-substituting cart, more particularly one, which allows the handlebar device to be located either right behind the middle of the front of the cart or nearer to a lateral side of the cart for suiting different situations.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Walk-substituting carts consist of an electric motor, a storage battery, which supplies direct current to the electric motor. There is only a small amount of heat energy produced by friction when electric energy is transformed into kinetic energy. Furthermore, when such walk-substituting carts are running, there is virtually no noise because electric motors run on the principle of magnetic attraction and repulsion. Therefore, it won't produce pollution or noise to use electric walk-substituting carts. And, walk-substituting carts are usually used by the elderly and for transporting people on golf courses.
A conventional steering structure of a walk-substituting cart consists of a first transverse rod, two front wheel support members, a rotating shaft, a transmission element, a second transverse rod, and a handlebar device. The first transverse rod is secured on a chassis of the walk-substituting cart, and the rotating shaft is passed through and fitted to the first transverse rod. The front wheel support members are fitted to respective ones of two ends of the first transverse rod. The handlebar device is coupled to an upper end of the rotating shaft. The transmission element is joined to a lower end of the rotating shaft at one end, and joined to the second transverse rod at the other end. The second transverse rod is connected to the front wheel support members at two ends thereof. Therefore, turning motion of the handlebar device will be passed on to the front wheels of the cart through the rotating shaft, the transmission element, the second transverse rod, and the front wheel support members.
However, when such a steering structure is used on a large-sized walk-substituting cart accommodating more than single person (two or four people), problems will arise because the handlebar device is fixed in position, i.e. right behind the middle of the front of the cart; the handlebar device is preferably located right behind the middle of the front of the cart if there is single person (the driver) on the cart. And, the handlebar device is preferably located nearer to one lateral side of the cart, instead of right behind the middle of the front, for allowing the driver to control the cart without interference if there is another person seated on next to the driver.